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Huzzah ! Fan of the Week ! And no , not my tenth time =P I only had it once before ; silly mr. duggy ! But what can I say in this week of being fan of the week ?

Well first , a big thank you to TheExecuter for honouring me with this ! En Taro Adun ! Perhaps one of the reasons TheExecuter chose me for Fan of the Week was because I like to hang around his AAR (The Last Mission) . This was not some freak coincidence of fate ! In fact , when I first stumbled over there , there was no doubt in my mind that I should stick around and be a commentator . TheExecuter weaves a tail , despite his busy busy schedule , that grips you from the get go with lucid dream descriptions and an almost nostalgic recollection of a time gone by . But no , by no means is it "just another" AAR but in fact embraces a psychological drama that spans ideologies and geography with enough suspense to keep the spice and chemistry just right . TheExecuter's AAR is a well balanced work and I would highly recommend it to anyone out there who is looking for a narrative AAR that is neither mercenary in its treatment of the time period nor lacks the germane touch of such a time .

Second , just like any beauty queen asked what they'd like to do with their accomplishment , I'd like to say that I want to use this to encourage writers to read other AARs . And to do it with gusto .

I find that my system works well for me . That is , since I do a weekly interview segment , I basically read an AAR a week . (Most recently , I just finished reading trekaddict's amazing alternate history piece and this week will be finishing up DerKaiser's California AAR for this weekend) . Now , some people may definitely not have time for such a rigorous schedule . And trust me , it can be difficult at times (I had to read Mettermrck's Eagles of Avalon in a week and I tell you , that was both enjoyable and hard ; like mountain climbing !) but I think this system has advantages for these reasons:

A. It allows one to focus on one storyline at a time . That way , you don't lose too many memory elements from each as you read AARs
B. It allows you to quickly catch up with an author's work . I think a lot of you out there will recognize that as an author , we sometimes have the weird privilege of having those readers who are *constantly* trying to catch up and we never hear any comments from them on a regular basis .
C. It allows you to interact with the author immediately . After having read up on an author's work , not only do they feel edified , but you have a natural basis to comment regularly .
D. It does not let any other author down since they know you are not currently reading their work and thus won't be hounding you to catch up .

I know that this system may not be applicable to everyone but I hope it gives some people an alternative on how to read AARs in AARland . I am not advocating tunnel vision ; in fact , as soon as you finish an AAR , while you keep up with it with that author's regular updates and comment (please please comment !) you should be finding another AAR project to read in the following week or so .

One more thing I'd like to urge all readers out there to do . COMMENT AS YOU GO ALONG ! At least for me , I enjoy such company and I'm sure many authors out there will love to see what new people think of previous chapters !

I'd also like to emphasize that it should be authors who are seeking comments of their own who should be taking the initiative to go out there and read . The population of AARland is growing and one might think that that limits the market size of people reading . Not at all because people seem to forget that authors should be readers too . Naturally no one is forcing you , but I think that's the beauty of AARland - to socialize and to be as much of a giver as a receiver .

And so lastly , in keeping with precedence of the award , I suppose a little about myself now that I've done my communal duty:

I'm a student (sophomore/junior depending on when those silly AP and IB grade reports finally finish transferring from my old uni) at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio although I'm , by virtue of residence , just your average libertarian orange county boy . I am staunchly and proudly Roman Catholic (although I would really love to be Byzantine Catholic sometime ; too bad that takes a special permission from both my diocesan ordinary and the Byzantine one ; yech , red tape . There should be an EU-pass style thing for Rites) . Anyway , I'm an English Major concentrating in Western Lit . I haven't been on the forum long - just a few months over a year - and have been in AARland shorter ; February will be Timelines' anniversary (I hope to see you all there at the party !!! Avernite ForzaA and Grubnessul are bringing the booze they said . Go Hollanders !) . I started commenting on AARs and became an avid fan of AARs , ironically , after I started writing . I hadn't read any other AARs (except to browse briefly what kind of types of AARs there were out there) when I started writing and I wish if I could turn back time (and give myself more time back then) i'd read some immediately when I started writing . As it was , I didn't bother reading until certain kind folks (insert grayghost and warlord club plug here) came about and were so nice and receptive that I wanted to check out what they were writing as well . So it just goes to show you that commenting on other peoples' work will definitely help you out !

I'm a follower of Aquinas when it comes to his philosophy on comments . That is to say that although it is self-serving (apparently) to comment on other people's work (Aristotle's view of bettering the self) , Aquinas hints that it is through loving something greater than ourselves and leaving the self that we fulfill the self . Anyway , that's a tangent . I tend to ramble on .

So I hope you all have a good week . I'll be choosing the next Fan of the Week in the next few days as per the usual schedule !

I'd like to say that it's been a wonderful week and I hope everyone has enjoyed it as well . I'd like to bestow the award on someone who has yet to win it to get some new blood in here . He has been a wonderful and constant force on my AAR and on many AARs out there . Today we shall honour Mr. Woodhouse aka English Patriot !

So why English Patriot ? Several reasons , really . One is that he's always ready with a comment whenever he's around (vacation time notwithstanding) . That's perhaps the cornerstone of any good fan . But it's not just that . Mr. Woodhouse , being an author himself , takes time out of his schedule to read a plethora of AARs and participates in them with cogent commentary . More than even this , one of the reasons why I thought English Patriot rose above the pack is because he has participated in my AAR as a guest author several times . Not only that , but he even went so far as to use elements of my AAR in his work (with my permission of course) which , to an author , is one of the highest forms of fandom . It is one thing to be a commentator and then another to be so involved with one of your subscriptions that you enter into its universe . I am flattered and humbled ! To that end , I think for this one who has yet to win this accolade , this is well deserved and I'm sure all of Mr. Woodhouse's friends will agree to this . Well done , old man ! You have always been a great friend and an inspiration . I hope we can continue our friendship far into the future .

It was a tough decision this round for me . There were many other great commentators and friends . Mijn Hollanders are still strong supporters now that we have ForzaA and Avernite tag teaming . comagoosie , one of our newcomers , even writes poetry and makes drawings for us ! RGB always a constant source of encouragement . Our Tempus buddies , naturally . But thank you all and special mention to all of you . I did not forget about any of you (yes yes , including you my good Murmurandus . You too are among these XD . Belgian Pride !) . Naturally grayghost and Grubnessul are up there but they had already won the award at least once before . I want you all to know that it is for fans like you that I am deeply moved and continue to write . I can only hope that your strength will add to mine as I move into these next few seasons . Timelines is only as strong as the will of its readers and so far you all have willed it to be a great time .

I want to reach out to the lurkers and especially those who are catching up . Please leave a comment ! Our community and friends are friendly and we would love to see what you think about past chapters . Good fight , Good night !